Mayor Giuliani's police state
broke out in full force, escalating violence, with people injured
by police brutality and with 136 people arrested and held in jail
for 30 hours.

Matthew Shepard Political
Funeral March was held in New York City on Monday, October 19th
at 6pm. Between 3000 and
5000 people carrying candles and placards
gathered for the march starting at 59th Street & 5th Avenue.
When the march began by moving onto 5th Ave, all the safety-ensuring
system of marshals, police negotiators that activists had learned
to build over the years, main organizers, and everyone on the
street were promptly arrested. "The police refused to negotiate
with us," said Sara Pursley, one of the organizers of the
demonstation, which did not have a permit. "The police refused
even to talk to us. And by doing so, they created far more havoc
in the city than ever would have happened."

With the initial arrests, the march continued
by moving along the sidewalk, down Fifth Avenue for several blockschanting "Stop the Hate! Stop the Violence!"
When the police linemomentarily broke,
marchers quickly moved out into the street taking all of 5th Ave.After marching down 5th Avenue a few blocks, the
substitute"organizers" (the
side and back marshalls who were not arrested) saw aphalanx of cops a block or two down and promptly turned
the march onto 55th Steet marching westward toward 6th Ave. When
they got down the streetto 6th Ave, the
street was totally blocked by the police.

The crowd broke through to move onto theintersection at 6th Ave., moving southward (against
traffic) one block andmoved eastward back
toward 5th Ave. As the crowd was filing onto 54th Street, thepolice summarily decided to force people out of
the intersection and ontothe sidewalk,
and literally began to arbitrarily arrest people, ironically,
while they were simply attempting to move onto thesidewalk; several people were injured in the process.

The march
continued down 5th Ave. and at 43rd St. -- one block from 42nd
Street and police roadblocks -- turned West. Again, some marchers
were arrested for not following police orders to stay on the sidewalk.
Cops were pushing and shoving the marchers. The front of the march
was stopped near 6th and 43rd and not allowed to proceed this
time. As protesters were trapped , the cops split the group down
the middle with a row of police in riot gear. About 250 people
on one side and 75 on the other. Lots of violent pushing of both
police and protestors occured here as the crowd was not allowed
to continue or retreat. Police escalated panic and violence as
police charged demonstrators with riot gear and night-sticks.
Then they brought in a row of mounted officers on horses and charged
the crowd, trying to push them onto the sidewalk (which was impossible
due to the large number of packed people).

After about 15 minutes of shoving and pushing
by police and horses, the March was allowed to return to Fifth
Ave to continue down to Madison Square Park, where the rally was
originally scheduled. Once they reached Madison Square Park, marchers
were greeted by hundreds of copsin riot
gear and scores of police wagons. A rally and candlelight vigil
washeld in the park until about 9 PM.
As the crowd dispersed, the mainsubway
station at the park was closed off by cops in riot gear, and otherpolice in riot gear assembled a phalanx several
cops deep not allowingpeople to cross
23rd St. or to proceed down Broadway. In addition to the hundeds
of cops surrounding the Park andclosing
off the subway stop, there were another 300 to 500hundred cops assembled on Broadway just south of 23rd
Street. It was an armed camp in a police state.

The police had only about 70 officers assigned
to the demonstration as it began. A Level 1 mobilization, doubling
the police presence with officers from the Manhattan North and
South task forces, was quickly called. A Level 2 mobilization,
drawing in task forces from the other boroughs, was announced
at 6:20, followed 20 minutes later by a Level 3, drawing squads
of officers from all Manhattan precincts. A highly unusual Level
4 mobilization, pulling in hundreds of officers from all over
the city, was announced at 7 PM.

Finally, while the cops were out in great numbersand did everything they could to stop and break
up the demonstration,they were *not* successful...they
did not ruin the evening. In fact, whatwas
seen were people becoming angrier and more militant as the eveningunfolded. More people saw first hand just how
this mayor and his policeforce are running
the city.

Initial police assault incidents
October 20, 1998
Initial report:

Legal Observers Document
Incidents of Assault and Harrassment Committed by New York City
Police Officers Against Peaceful Protesters

At last night's [Mon. Oct. 19th] demonstration
[Political Funeral March forMatthew Shepard],
a team of 18 legal observers documented incidents of harassment
and physical assault by New York Citypolice
officers. All of the legal observers were clearly marked as such,and identified themselvesto police as non-protesting
observers. Despitethat fact, three observers
were arrested while carrying out their duties,and
two other legal observers were physically assaulted.

The legal observers have documented a total
of 136 arrests. The arrestsbegan at 6:20
p.m. Those arrested were taken to at least four differentprocessing centers. As of 3 p.m., legal counsel
had still not beenpermitted to meet with
any detainees [which continued into this morning.]

* On 43rd St., at least four demonstrators
were peacefully sitting downwhen seven
or eight officers on horseback attempted to trample them. Onhorseback were observed officers 17865 (or 17985),
860, Perno (28731 or28734), Conzyz (28330),
19403. At lease 3 protestors were injured when theywere trampled by horses (a woman with a broken ankle,
a woman with abdominalinjuries and contusions,
and a man with an injured foot.) One of theofficers
on horseback threatened to kill a protester if he "touched
[his]horse". Camptian Riedel refused
to halt the actions of the officers onhorseback.
Officer 4270 continued to push people on the sidewalk to theground after the horses had dispersed the protesters.
Officer Doughertyverbally mocked the
crowd. Wielding his nightstick, Captain Shindelphysically repeatedly assaulted several people, including
two legalobservers and a reporter from
[WNYW] Fox 5. Present were Officers Malone,Brocatto
(8793), Leun, Roganella, Francis, and 18792.

* A white male in jeans, black loafters, wearing
a white t-shirt torn underthe left breast
was pinned on the ground by cops. He was clutching his leftbreast and asking for help. No blood was visible.
The police did not seekmedical assistance.
The officers' badge numbers were [illegally] covered byjackets.

* An approximate 5'10" male of south
Asian descent wearing glasses anddriving
a white mini-van (NJ Lic. plate no. MJ 303C) got out of his vehicleand struck a marshal at 59th St. and 5th Ave.

* Officer 21575 on a motorcycle rammed into
a non-violent protester [on 5thAve.]
between 50th and 51st Sts.

* A man was arrested by Officer Brestle Crimmins
26727. The plastic cuffswere on so tight
that the victgim's hand turned purple. When the officerfinally consented to cutting off the cuffs, he
injured the victim with hiscutting pliers.

* A non-violent protester was injured while
being arrested. While beingtransported
to jail, he asked for medical assistance. Officer Doyle 953would not stop the bus. The protester screamed
from the bus window for help(bus #9123.)
Captain John Littleton finally stopped the bus at 47th St. and5th Ave. and called for an ambulance.

* A non-violent protester was thrown to the
ground and arrested. theplastic cuffs
were applied too tightly and his hands went numb. Whe thevictim complained, Officer Doyle 953 said no
one had the "device" and thatit
would be "an hour or two" before the cuffs were removed.
Eventually anofficer brought scissors
and removed the cuffs. Deep red marks were left onthe protester's wrists.

* Officer 13955 continued to cover his badge
despite being told by a legalobserver
that doing so was illegal.

* At the first road block [not sure where
this was], a peacefuldemonstrator was
beaten, crying out, thrown to the ground and against atruck by Officer Ferguson 17874.

* Officer 11386 in riot gear drove his motorcycle
into a group of people.

* A non-violent protestor was thrown to the
ground by the police.

* A white woman with brown hair and glasses
in a black skirt and sweaterwas assaulted
by five police officers. One of the officers threw down hishelmet and chased her with his nightstick.

* Two people were arrested simply for talking
to the press after the crowdhad dispersed
at Madison Square Park.

* A protestor was arrested while walking down
the sidewalk carrying acandle. He was
not given a reason. After being taken downtown to OnePolice Plaza, he was released several hours later
without being charged.

* Officer Mulroney was forcefully pushing
protestors at 53rd [St.] and 5th[Ave.]
He grabbed one protester and then pushed him away laughing.

* A protestor was arrested for yelling when
someone got hit.

* A female protestor was pushed to the ground
by Officer Hawkins on 59th St.

It's now 10:10 PM on Tuesday, 30 hours after
the march began, and all butone of those
arrested are finally out of jail. There were a lot ofoutrageous violations of procedure even by NYPD standards--people
arrestedat the whim of one Officer Littlejohn,
many of whom were relaesed withouteven
a desk appearance ticket after being detained in a city bus for
sevenhours, or held inside, without water
or food, even longer. A lot ofpeople,
many of them new to marching let alone being arrested, wereincredibly courageous through this ordeal. They
deserve our thanks.

# # #

The Orange County Register Pubdate: 22 Oct 1998

Author: Donna De La Cruz-The Associated Press

HIV PATIENTS: DRUGS DENIED DURING CUSTODY

Dispute: According to New York police policy,
all prescription medicine must be surrendered during detention.

New York-Gay activists jailed for their part
in a huge demonstration complained Wednesday that they were denied
access to their AIDS medication, which can sometimes lose effectiveness
if patients miss even a single dose.

"I am very angry that a peaceful candlelight
vigil could end with my life being threatened," said John
Irizarry, 27, who spent 19 hours in custody after the march Monday
down Fifth Avenue in New York. At least five of the roughly 100
people arrested were denied access to HIV or AIDS medication,
according to the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence
Project.

According to New York Police Department policy,
when someone is taken into custody and has prescription medicine
on them, that medicine is surrendered temporarily, said Sgt. Nick
Vreeland, a police spokesman. Over-the-counter medication is taken
away. Police do not dispense any kind of medication. If someone
needs to take a prescription, they are given the option of being
taken to a hospital, where they are evaluated, he said.

The arrests occurred during a rally in response
to the slaying of Matthew Shepard, the gay University of Wyoming
student who was beaten and lashed to a fence.

Irizarry, who takes 22 pills twice a day, said
he hadn't missed a dose in six years until this week. After being
unable to take two scheduled doses, "I was just really scared
for my life," he said. Patients like Irizarry should never
miss a dose of medication because that can allow the virus to
weaken their immune systems, said Dr. Paul Curtis Bellman, an
HIV specialist.

"He has survived this long by being so
diligent in taking all of his medications. The missed doses cannot
be replace," Bellman said. Robert Gangi, executive director
of the Correctional Association of New York, a prison watchdog
group, said it is not the first time police have refused requests
for medication.

"Their reasoning is that they are not
qualified medical people, and they don't know if what you have
is some kind if illegal drug," he said. Joh Jordan, who is
infected with the AIDS virus, also was arrested and opted to be
taken to Bellevue Hospital. But he said he was unable to get his
AIDS medication even there. Hospital officials did not immediately
return a call for comment.

"I don't want them (police) to have the
power to play Russian roulette with my life or anyone else who
is being held captive by them," said Jordan, 29, who was
in police custody for 20 hours.

Last Monday (10/19/98), I marched with 5,000 queer friends
of mine in New York City in what was to be a peaceful memorial
in the memory of Matthew Sheppard, the young college student who
was brutally murdered because he was gay.

What it turned into was an assault by the NYPD--and indeed,
it has become to many of us an historical event with as much magnitude
and importance as the Stonewall riots. This wasn't a riot--except
to the extent the police were out of control. No cars were turned
over and burned, no shop windows smashed.

But well over 100 people were arrested and assaulted by the
police. Even to the point of horses trampling people. One friend
of mine was kicked in the head by a police horse (not to mention
the cruelty to the horses themselves who were terrified). Officers
were heard (and identified) screaming "faggot" and other
epithets at marchers. A woman with her two young children was
told to leave the march or her children would be taken from her.

The vile irony of the cops -- under Giuliani's direction as
evidenced from previous major demonstrations -- exhibited all
the hatred and ugliness we were there to protest against. Yet
they hypocritically hide behind the fact there was no permit for
the march. I've been to dozens of demos in the last 9 years for
which there was no permit -- and I have only once seen the cops
behave so despicably.

It is even more disingenuous to hear Giuliani claim that if
a permit had been applied for, the organizers would have received
it. This hindsight lie is contradicted by his virulent attempts
to revoke a permit for a march planned for today (10/22/98) to
protest police brutality!!

It is unconscionable to me that the violence wrought against
gays, lesbians and transgendered people in this country -- violence
that occurs on a routine basis -- is so frighteningly downplayed
by the media. Giuliani and the police must be held accountable
for their viciousness and homophobia. Indeed, I support those
who call for his impeachment.

DIVA TV
has fully documented the Matthew Shepard Political Funeral and
Police Violence